Well-screen



L. F. LAYNE. WELL SCREEN.

APPLICATION FILED OT. 23, 1916. l 1,335,975. Patented Apr. 6,1920.

y IKM@ `of Texas, have invented certain new useful Improvements in ell-Screens, of

LLOYD F. LAYNE, or HoUsTom'TEXAs)'AssiGNoRro LAYNE ,e 'Bowman COMPANY, A

CORPORATION TEXAS.

WELL-sonnen.

Specification of Letters Eateiiti. Patenfd ADL, IlQ..

Appiication filed ociber 23 1916. sei-'iai No. 127,653.'

.Tio all whom t may' concern:

Be it` known that I, LLo'Yi) F. LAYNE, a

, citizen of the United States, 4residing at Houston, in the county of Harris and State and ywhich the following is a specification.

. This invention relates to well screens and Lit vhas reference primarily to that .form of well screen apparatus in which a perforated or foraminous well tubing is employed about which is wrapped the wireavhich constitutesthe screening element. This form of well screen isv usedv in water or oil wells where the soil is sandy and its purpose is to permit a free flow of water into the interior of the well tubing while at the saine time foreign matter is efi'ectiially excluded.

AOne of the principal objects `of the Iinvention is to provide a novel and simple form of well screen in which the screening wire may be simply and expeditiously put i iii place and is securely maintained in position.

The foregoing, together with such other objects as may hereinafter appear or are incident to my invention I attain by means of the invention which is illustrated i-n the accompanying drawing in -which the figure is a partial side elevation and partial section of the well tubing, showing the. application thereto of the V screening wire also in side elevation and in section. The process of manufacture will be understood from a description of the screen.

leferring now to the drawing, I have shown a. well tubing or frame 7 such `tubing or frame being provided with a plurality of j'ierforations, orifices `or open spaces 8 by means of which the water or oil is carried into the interior of the tubing forming the well chamber. 'The well tubing isprovided with an exterior helical groove 9, or, stated in another way. the well tubingis threaded, the preferred form of 'thread' be`. ing square as shown in the upper portionl of'tliefigure in side elevation. "Theforin of the screening wire which I prefer to employ is of that general type which may b est be described by stating` that in cross section` it is substantially in the form of a truncated pyramid which is wound upon the tubing with the small end in the groove or thread. The wire 10 shown in the drawing, while of the general type just described, va ,der

. lower face of the wire.

is slightly offset or bent so that the wire incross sectionis irregular at its inner edge,

for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

Thefwire is shownin cross 'section in the I vlower half of the figure.

After the tubinglias been threaded or y grooved,ithe wire 10 is wound thereon in the vform fof 'a helix by any preferred typel` of wire winding machine, the. wire` being l,fed from the machine intol thegroovefby rotat- V ing the tubing.; to this point the wire 'is arran v ed in the groove in the manner in-` Avdi'cated rin that portion of the cross section of the screen marked a.

In order to secure the Wire inl position in -the groove, a suitably supported compressing tool is inserted into the space formed in the helix of the wire, which tool preferably consists of a disk 1l rotatably mounted on the support 12 and which extends angularly into said space to engage lthe outer face of the thread at a point adjacent the j As the casing is rotated, the disk 1ll crowds the metal of. the

thread against the lower face of the wire,

wedging the metal tightly about the wire, whereby' the wire, because of its irregular cross-sectional form, is securely fastened in position. IThe manner in which the tool operates to compress the metal and lock the wire is clearly shown in the lower p'ortioii of the figure.

' As a completed article of manufacture, the screen consists of a perforate tubing about which is wound-a helix of screening wire providing` a substantially continuous annular 'channel on'tlie exterior of the tubing, which channel is larger at the base next to the tubing than at the' exterior edges of the wire. lThe screen thus excludes for"- eignmatter while at the same time there is provided a relatively large circulating chanlnel by'means of which tlieyliquid is rapidly and Afreely conducted into the interior of the well tubing` through the perforations. The space between adjacent edges of the screening wire is determined by the width of the groove, or. stated in another way, by

the thickness of the thread on the tubing or different width of wire. By modifying the size of the groove, the screening area of the `wire. is modified so as to meet the service zconditions of the particular field of use.

- lspecific form of the Well tubing or frame may be changed Without de arting from the l spirit of this invention. ther advantages 'will occur to those familiar With then-art. Y' 'I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture a Well screen comprising a well tubing provided with a .plurality of apertures therein and having formed in its outer face a square thread, a helix of iscreening wire seated inthe groove between the turns of the said thread, said Wire being substantially rec-` tangular in cross-section and having an angular depression formed in one lateral face thereof to -provide aportion adjacent tothe base of the Wire of less thickness than the base, said Wire being held in position` by compressing Ythe metal of the -thread into said depression.

2. As a new article of manufacture a Well screen comprising a Well tubing provided with a plurality of apertures therein and having formed in its outer face a square thread, a helix of screening Wire seated in the groove between the turns of the said thread, said` wire being substantially rectangular in cross-section and having an angular depression formed in one lateral face thereof to provide a portion adjacent to the base ofthewire of less thickness than the base, said Wire being held in position byy compressing the metal of the vthread into,

said depression throughout the length of the In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name. 

